Mother Sues Paramedics Whose Actions Led To Death Of Her Baby

Paramedics, who are typically the first to arrive on the scene of a medical emergency need to provide treatment that meets the applicable standard of care. As the first on the scene we expect paramedics to have the knowledge, training, and experience to differentiate between problems are capable of being treated at the scene from the ones that need urgent transport to a hospital with the appropriate equipment and full medical staff. Below we explore a lawsuit in which paramedics answered a call from a woman who had experienced a placental abruption at nearly full term of her pregnancy. The paramedics did not appreciate the symptoms exhibited by the pregnant woman, like being in shock from blood loss, and did not take her immediately to a hospital. In the delay the unborn baby's oxygen supply was cut off because of the placental abruption.
Their not taking fast action caused a delay of at least 18 minutes. It further claimed that during this delay the placental abruption caused the baby's oxygen supply to be cut off leading to hypoxia.. The newborn died the day after being delivered. The mother's blood loss was so severe that the woman had to have another surgery to check the bleeding. In addition, she suffered from temporary kidney failure as a result of the loss of blood. The law firm that handled the case named the paramedics in the lawsuit.
States have varying laws in cases concerning the demise of an infant. The State where this case arose, for example, mandated that for a woman to recover for the emotional harm she experienced from the death of her baby the mother first needs to show that she suffered a physical injury that was due to the same negligence that caused the death of the newborn and that the mother's physical injury would not have typically happened in a normal childbirth. The woman started going through intense depression six months following the death of her newborn. She was placed on a regimen of therapy and medication. Despite the therapy and medication, however, her depression continued as of the time of the law firm's report. She is anticipated to need the lifelong use of medication. The mother met every condition.|All 3 requisites were present in this case.|With the injuries the mother herself endured as a result of the delay by the paramedics, she was able to go forward with a claim.
The law firm was able to report that they took the case to trial and achieved a verdict of $4.5 million on behalf of the mother. Paramedics are health care providers. Paramedics are trained and they are licensed. They are supposed to be able to recognize signs of emergency health issues and to take proper and timely action. Should they not and their actions do not meet the applicable standard of care, they can be liable.